


Excuse my French - An Outer Worlds Fic

by TurianTaylor



Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: Ableism, Autistic Captain (The Outer Worlds), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Hot mess Captain (The Outer Worlds), Non-binary character, Nonbinary Captain (The Outer Worlds), Nonbinary Character, Other, PDA, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Pathological Demand Avoidance, Queer Character, Switch Captain (The Outer worlds), Top Captain (The Outer Worlds), Trauma, but it is talked about further on in the fic, non binary character, none of the ableism is graphic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:47:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25103404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurianTaylor/pseuds/TurianTaylor
Summary: Adi came to Halcyon a little differently than some of the scientists and "Greatest Minds" onboard The Hope, and left someone important behind on Earth.Set on justice for the masses, and fully on board with Phineas Welles's plan, they've got their own traumatic past, and are fighting as much to leave that behind as to make a future for the rest of Halcyon. And then, maybe... Go home.
Relationships: The Captain/Maximillian DeSoto
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	1. Brand New Colony

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Bright and Hollow Sky, or, A Very Bad Ship Vicar](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21687643) by [WhenYouGrowUpYourHeartDies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenYouGrowUpYourHeartDies/pseuds/WhenYouGrowUpYourHeartDies). 



> Hey all.  
> I'm a queer nonbinary autistic, and I'm writing this story partly to help me process my own past, different though it is to Adi's.  
> Therefore, please be constructive and kind with your ciriticism!  
> Much love,  
> Lize x
> 
> Bright and Hollow Sky, or, A Very Bad Ship Vicar by WhenYouGrowUpYourHeartDies is what inspired me to write this fic. It's going to be very different plot wise, but I really credit the aforementioned author for sparking my will to write! PLease check out their fic too.

“What the Fuck is this? French? I can’t fucking read French!” Adi hid a smirk behind their hand as the Vicar ranted, his face taut in a grimace. “It’s a Law-forsaken joke is what it is. French!” He huffed out an angry laugh. “I was so High and Mighty, preaching to the yokels about following the plan, while fighting it at every turn!”

“What’s…” Adi giggled slightly, drawing a frown from the older man in front of them. “What’s so important about this book?”

  
“I’m not sure what you’re finding funny about this, but I’ve spent my life searching for the keys to unlocking the secrets of the Universal Equation that underlines the Plan. I had hoped this book held some of those answers… I became so desperate, I even got myself assigned to this plague-ridden backwater to find the Damned thing. All the time and suffering I’ve spent… Wasted!”

  
“You really don’t…” Adi laughed loudly, almost doubled over in mirth. “You really don’t see how this is funny, Vicar?” They snorted out in between laughs. Max folded his arms, expression stony. “Enlighten me.” he ground out.

  
“For a start,” Adi said, straightening up from their doubled-up laughter, tears of mirth at the corners of their eyes, “And this isn’t even that relevant, you think you’re special. You think you’re better than the rest of these ‘yokels’, and you think you’re unique. When in fact, you’re just like every evangelical I ever met back on… well that doesn’t matter. But the fact is Vicar, you’re not special. You got yourself assigned to this ‘plague-ridden backwater’ for a book. How does that help anyone here?”

  
Bordering on beet-red, the Vicar glared daggers at Adi, in a way they would have thought very un-Vicar like if they hadn’t fallen out with so many authority figures back on Earth. He looked just about ready to punch them. “You’re… a very rude young woman.”

  
Adi glared back. “Not a woman, and also not a man before you ask. And, mirroring Parvati, who actually seems to give a shit about the people here, unlike you, Holy man; I’m twenty eight.” They paused, some strange expression ghosting over their features. “Agh, or ninety eight, depends how you look at it. Either way, even if you’ve got a few years on me, I’ll bet you’ve got a Damn sight less experience than I do.”

  
Max snorted. “I doubt that. And I still think you’re an incredibly rude young person. I’d use choicer words, but...”

  
“You know if you did, I’d tell you to mind your French?” Adi said, deadpan.

“....What?”

  
Adi burst into peals of somewhat mocking laughter. “Never mind, Tom Cruise. There’s another reference you won’t get, and I’m off. People to do, things to see, the decaying corpse of late stage capitalism to grind away at. Good luck with the book, honestly. Hope it brings you more happiness than you’ve ever brought the people here.”

  
“Oh for Law’s sake… Will you slow down and wait a second?”

  
Adi paused in walking out the door, turning to look at the man with slight disdain. “Didn’t peg you as a masochist, Vicar. You like getting told off? Far be it from me to dismiss a man’s kinks, just doesn’t seem quite what a man of the cloth should be into.”

  
Covering his face with one large palm, Max sighed between his fingers. “We’ve… obviously got off on the wrong foot.”

  
“You think?”

  
Max ignored the jibe, instead answering the question seriously. “Yes, I rather do. I’ve been wanting to leave this place for some time now, and now I have the book, there is nothing compelling me to stay, quite honestly. I need to find a translator. Perhaps I’ll come back here when it’s translated, and bring the townspeople word of my findings. Honestly, perhaps I won't. Either way, I’m in need of transport off the planet, and you;” He looked Adi over, sparing Parvati a quick glance too, “Are in need of a crew.”

  
Adi stared at him. “What makes you think that?”

  
“You have Miss Holcomb, so I’ll grant you’re likely not in need of a suitable engineer to fix your ship. Not that I boast those skills anyway. I can hack computers, I’m not bad in a fight, whether with guns or a tossball stick. From our… earlier conversations, I doubt that you’re interested in spiritual counselling;” Adi snorted in agreement, and the Vicar ignored them. “Otherwise I’d offer that too. While I’m decent with weapons, I prefer to talk my way out of a fight to begin with, I know basic first aid;” He nodded at Parvati’s bloodied arm, “Can cook, and keep things tidy. You need a crew, Miss...ter”

“Mx.”

“Mx Hawthorne, you said your name was? You may not want me on your ship, and frankly, I don’t want to be on it with you either. But I do need passage to Groundbreaker, and it’ll take me years before another freelancer comes to Edgewater, let alone one who’s willing to even consider letting me tag along without murdering me and selling my corpse for bits. I’m happy to help with whatever… freelancing you need to do, as long as you can get me to Groundbreaker in reasonable time. Then, we’ll part ways. I can help you just as much as you can help me.”

Adi looked at him askance. “I highly doubt that, Vicar. But I’ll think on it. I’m not leaving tonight, I’ve got a few more things to do around town. If you help me out with some of them, I’ll get a feel for whether I want you on my ship. It’s not a no, but it’s definitely not a yes.”

Max’s face split into a grin, and he clapped his hands together, smiling.

“Fantastic! I’m sure I can convince you. What first?”

Adi rose an eyebrow. “I dunno bout you, but I’m off to bed soon. I’ve fixed up Edgewater, and got the so-called deserters back in town, to the benefit of all but Tobson I suppose, no matter how Adelaide griped about it. Not that I can begrudge her wanting her freedom. I’ve rented a room at the inn, so I’ll meet you outside the inn just after sunrise tomorrow morning. Coming, Parvati?” Adi said to the girl, blasting her a smile so beaming it nearly emblazoned in the back of the Vicar’s retinas.  
Parvati smiled back, and followed the Captain, and Max was left wondering just what in Law's name he’d got himself into.


	2. My Boy Builds Coffins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Semi-Graphic depictions of injury and violence.

Adi woke up, startled, to a banging on their door. Disorientated, they stumbled out of bed and dragged themselves to the source of the commotion, unlocking the door and swinging it open dramatically.

“What.”

Parvati stood at the other side of the doorframe, and startled slightly at their tone, eyes downcast.

“Oh, begging your pardon, Captain! It’s just that…the Vicar’s getting all worked up ‘bout you not being awake yet, and I said to him, well maybe they’re tired, we did a lot of running and y’know, dodging bullets yesterday, and he said ‘Well you’re awake, Miss Holcomb, I daresay Captain Hawthorne could use some of the same workers energy,”

Adi snorted. “I’ll bet he did.” they butted in before Parvati could get too much more anxious babbling done. “Says the man who’s sat behind a damn desk all day. And sorry for snapping at you by the way, Parvati. I’ve always been a late riser, but the change in the sun compared to back on Earth has me out of sorts in the mornings.”

Parvati looked at Adi curiously at the mention of Earth, but didn’t challenge them on it. “That’s the other thing that uh...well the other person that… Ms Kim, the Canteen Owner, she’s asking for another night in room fees for you and a late fee. Seeing as it’s past noon now, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Captain.”

Adi blinked. “It’s past noon? Shit, this planet is messing with me worse than I thought. Thanks for the heads up Parv, how much is she asking for, any idea?”

“....Seventy bits, Captain.”

“Seventy bits? For an extra night? God I fucking hate Capitalism. The first night was only twenty bits!”

“I know, Cap’n, but like I said, she’s charging a late fee. Sorry, Captain.”

Adi smiled at the engineer. “Don’t worry, Parvati. Thanks for waking me up and letting me know, it was kind of you. I appreciate it. I’ll get dressed and go settle up with Amelia, guess I’m staying one more night, after we’ve got things done and all. Got to help SIlas with the gravesite fees today, kill some marauders, find the last book we need for Thomas, and have a look for those experimental medicines. Should be doable in half a day, right?” They said with a smile, and closed the door to get dressed and ready.

* * *

As the Captain sauntered out of the Cantina, looking like they had all the time in the world, Max was just about ready to pull his hair out.

“Ah, Captain Hawthorne!” He said with mock joviality “What a lovely morning to see you! Just look at that magnificent sunrise!” 

Adi scowled, looking at the sun high in the sky. “Fuck off, Vicar.”

Max glared back at them. “I gladly would have, to come back later, had I had any idea you weren’t going to wake til past the middle of the day! I could have sworn you said to meet you here shortly after sunrise, but that must’ve been your much more responsible, harder working, identical twin.”

Adi rolled their eyes. “Doing a great job of convincing me to take you with me here, Vicar. Love me an hypocritical evangelical, just who I love to travel with.”

“Just how am I hypocritical now?” Max spat out.

“If you’re so Damn good with a gun as you claim, you could’ve easily gone and got your own bloody book! Rather than sending the ‘lazy’ freelancer to do it!” Adi shot back.

Parvati cleared her throat, looking awkward. “So, uh, you said we had some things to do today, Cap’n?” Adi drew their narrowed eyes away from the Vicar, and cheered visibly whilst talking to Parvati.

“Hm. Yea, Parvati, we do.” They turned back to Max, eyes narrowing again. “If you want to prove your worth to me, then consider this your trial period. If you want to come on my ship, you’ll have to be a decent fighter, and hacker, whatever. Which I doubt.”

Before Max had even finished bristling at that comment, Adi carried on talking. “We’re collecting the burial fees for Silas today, finding the final book we need for Thomas which is allegedly in the Community Centre, as well as a cache of anthrocillin while we’re there too. We also need to kill some marauders and uh… bring their fingers back for Reyes. Finally, we need to collect a logic module for Ludwig. I kind of forgot to do that last time I was in the geothermal plant. Have the pair of you got your guns? Or knives, whatever weapons you use. Prayer beads, maybe for Max?”

“I am seriously starting to question why I asked to come on your ship.” Max replied dourly.

“That’s the plan, Vicar. That’s the plan.”

* * *

Max was bordering on exhausted, and though he'd never admit it to the irritating Captain, he was glad they hadn’t started at the crack of dawn. They had started with 

collecting the burial fees for SIlas, only to come up against a hurdle with Conrad, despite Mx. Hawthorne’s substantial persuasion skills. So next, they’d gone on a wild goose chase for some gold teeth, and he’d been rather surprised when the Captain’s hunch that the teeth could be at the now-abandoned Botanical Labs had been correct, as Adelaide had been apparently growing vegetables by desecrating corpses. Disgusting, but rather genius, he had to admit. 

Next, they had cleared out the community centre of Marauders, and salvaged the book Thomas wanted, as well as killed one of the wanted marauders, and seized the cache of anthrocillin. Captain Hawthorne had given Thomas the final volume of the book, and now they were handing in the anthrocillin and Guillaume Antrim’s finger to Constable Reyes. 

Hawthorne handed over the anthrocillin to Reyes, all smiles and compliance, and then asked Parvati for the severed finger from her pack. While Parvati looked for it in her pack, mumbling apologies to the Captain and the Constable that she was sure she’d put it in one of these pockets, the Captain strolled around the building impatiently. However, that wasn’t all they were doing -  Max watched incredulously as they casually opened the anthrocillin bag, and grabbed five or six of the injections, stealthily stashing the medicine in their bag. They took over half, and for some reason, quickly replaced the missing with their own adrena-time, which must be worth more bits than the contraband anthrocillin.

Before Max could decide whether to say anything or not (As, essentially, that would mean losing his ride on the ship), Parvati found the severed digit. 

“Here it is Cap’n!” She exclaimed, beaming brightly. As relaxed as if they hadn’t just stolen from the town’s law enforcement right under the Constable’s nose, Hawthorne smiled happily back. 

“Great, thanks Parv! Now how about we go find the next two before someone else beats us to it?”

* * *

Adi could tell the Vicar was glaring at them from behind their back, and they decided to ignore it for now. No point in getting into another row when they were just going to turn him down for joining the crew when they got back to Edgewater anyway. He was a good fighter, he’d helped take out those marauders with ease, and now they had the final two fingers. But they had never got on with the religious sort, for reasons that they tried not to think about. Therefore, they hadn’t given him much of a chance to prove his hacking skills, or really do anything other than kill marauders. Which, admittedly, he did with style. It probably wasn’t fair of them… But no way were they having an arrogant, uncaring, jumped up holy man on their ship. 

The ragtag group of three made their way into the Geothermal Plant to pick u pthe logic module and Adi chatted with Parvati. They were pleased to have at least one gentle soul left in this selfish, Capitalist hellscape to talk to.

“So how long have you lived in Edgewater, Parvati? A while I’m guessing?”

“Oh, I’ve been here since I was a kid Cap’n. Well, since I was a baby really. My Dad raised me til he passed away. I do miss him.”

“I’m sorry for your loss Parv. It’s completely understandable that you miss him, and I’m sure he’d be proud of you, about to work on a spaceship and all that. You’re a great mechanic from what I’ve seen so far, I’ll be pleased to have you onboard.” Parvati looked at her feet, embarrassed.

“That’s real kind, Captain. There’s been a lack of kind in Edgewater lately. Makes me happy to see it still exists.” Adi looked at Parvati, awkward at the compliment. 

“It’s alright, Parvati, it’s only the truth. And my name’s Adi.” The Vicar obviously had sharp ears, because he chose that moment to stop quietly seething, and butted in angrily.

“Adi? You told me your name was Hawthorne, Alex Hawthorne. I fail to see how Adi is a diminutive of that, just who exactly are you?” Adi whirled round at Max, ready to give the uppity Vicar a piece of their mind.

“Who am I? Who the fuck are  _ you, _ Vicar? You’re completely up yourself!” Max’s eyes grew wide.

“Captain, you,” he said urgently,

“ _ No,  _ I am  _ not _ your Captain, and you are not bloody getting on my ship! I…” Before they could finish their sentence, a valley of shots whistled past their ear, luckily missing their head by a few centimetres. “What the  _ fuck? _ We already cleared this place out!”

They quickly drew their trip blade from its sheath on their back, the three of them surrounded by mechanicals. 

“Did you really think you killed me?” A voice echoed from round the corner, and the marauder Adi had been pretty sure they’d killed earlier came round the corner, laughing, with a veritable army of mechanicals behind her. “They call me Doc Maybell for a reason you know, it wasn’t hard to fix up a concussion and gut wound when I came to! Now as soon as I get my fucking  _ trigger finger _ back off your corpses, you three are in for a world of fuckin- _ urrgh!”  _ Adi shot her in both legs, crippling her, and all Hell broke loose. 

_“FUCK!”_ Adi screamed. “We are fucking overwhelmed by mechanicals here, people! We need to get to a terminal so I can override them, and quickly! Max, Parvati, cover me!” 

* * *

Sweat was dripping down Max’s brow, and he was absolutely fucking furious. He’d decided it was definitely a good thing that Adi, or Alex, or whatever the Hell their real name was wouldn’t let him on the ship, as he was pretty sure they’d have him back in Tartarus for murder. Parvati and him had felled mechanical after mechanical, and they just kept coming. The Doctor must’ve been almost as good at hacking as him, and possibly better at repairing tech than Parvati, if the lack of slaughtered mechanicals from last time Parvati and the Captain were here were any indication. And Hawthorne wasn’t getting anywhere with the extra security the damn woman had put on the terminal. In between shots, Max edged closer to Adi.

“Let me have a go, for Law’s sake!” he shouted to them. “You're getting nowhere with the extra security she’s added, We can’t keep this up, and there’s no way we’re retreating either with the amount of them!” 

“Are you actually any good,” Adi shouted back, “Or are you just saying you’re good at hacking like you think you’re a great and empathic Vicar?” A vein twitched in his forehead, and he made his way closer to the terminal. 

“Like it or not, you really don’t have a fucking choice if you don’t want to get us all killed!” he snapped back. Adi stiffened noticeably, and looked rather angry, but stepped aside, drawing their shotgun.

“Fine, I take your point. Have at it, Vicar.” They rushed away from the terminal as Max took over, getting close to the mechanicals inhumanly quickly, almost blurring as they dashed from one to the next. Max completely blocked all that out, hoping against hope that despite how much they seemed to dislike him that they’d cover him as he hacked the terminal. What kind of master-hacker was this woman anyway? He was a damn good hacker, and he was confident he could get the mechanicals powered down within the next five to ten minutes. As long as they didn’t get killed before he could, anyway. He could swear there were more mechanicals than when they’d started, where had the damned marauder even got them from? 

“Almost there…” he muttered to himself, “Just a little more…” Something flashed in the corner of his vision. The Captain screamed something at him, but he couldn’t stop, it was literally just a few more keystrokes and he’d have them all shut off…

“Vicar, get  _ down! _ ” Adi screamed in his ear, and suddenly he was hit in the back by sixty kilos of Captain. As the pair of them fell to the hard metal floor of the geothermal plant in a tangle of limbs, he yelled out as they were hit by a storm of bullets, at least one of them hitting him in the lower leg.

“ _ Fuck!”  _ Max screamed in pain. Captain Hawthorne was a heavy weight over him, and he just managed to push Adi aside slightly, leant up to the terminal, and pressed the confirm button to shut the mechanicals off. With a whining noise, the damn things thankfully shut down, and Max called out to Parvati. “Miss Holcomb? A little help? And for Law’s sake, Hawthorne, you can get off me now, we’re safe.”

The Captain made a noise that sounded like it might have been a laugh, but Max was alarmed to hear that it sounded wet.

“Might…  _ Ah fuck. _ Might need a hand with that. Shit, was  _ really _ hoping I’d get to be on top of someone after being defrosted in a different way before I die.”

Parvati rushed over as Max tried to get out from under them without jarring them. Surprisingly to Max, Parvati was good in a crisis, and quickly set to cleaning and bandaging his lower leg where he’d been shot, as Max reached into the first aid bag to find something to aid the Captain. He found nothing in the bag but a few adrena-times, adreno, bandages, and the experimental anthrocillin. 

It was possible the adreno might make the blood leave their body quicker, so Max didn’t want to use that on them. 

“What should we do, Vicar?” Parvati whispered. “I’ve patched up your leg, thankfully it was pretty shallow. You should be able to walk back, but it doesn’t look like the Captain... Adi… Is going to be up to getting back to the ship.” Adi looked very pale. They looked at Parvati, and coughed. 

“Elena?” 

“No, Captain, it’s me, Parvati. Vicar, what should we do? It’s almost nightfall, no way are we going to be able to carry them back with us without getting ambushed.”

“Elena, you can leave me. I know you’ve got Shawn to get back to. Please, just go.” Parvati looked at Max, shrugging, and he felt their forehead.

“They’re burning up. Wait… the medicinal inhaler they use! Where is it? It sounds like they may have punctured a lung, so it won’t be ideal, but it could keep them alive for now. 

“Oh! They keep it in a side pocket on their jacket, I think!” Parvati said, unzipping the pocket in the cheaply-made leather jacket with shaking hands. “Here!”

Max snatched the inhaler from Parvati, and he opened their mouth, placing the inhaler between their lips. They spat it out. 

“No! Elena, you need to go! Please stay safe, stay with the Vicar. You know I hate clergy as much as you, but please, it’s the only chance…” 

Before they could finish their sentence, Max shoved the inhaler back into their mouth, and held it there.

“Breathe in, Hawthorne. Adi. Breathe in.” They glared at him, but took three deep breaths, finishing the last of the medicine in the inhaler before Max took it away. 

“I wanted…” they coughed violently,blood spattering onto their chest,and passed out. Max grimaced, turning to Parvati.

“The marauder. She must have had more medical equipment at her cave, or she wouldn’t have been able to patch herself up. We need to get there.

“That’s an idea, but Cap’n doesn’t look like they can walk. I… could go on my own?”

“No. We don’t know what or who you’ll come across out there, I’ll come with you.”

“We can’t leave them though, surely?”

“We’ll have to. I can lock them in a room, so no-one can get to them. I’d take them with us, but I’ll only slow us down if I’m carrying them, and time is essential.”

“...I guess you’re right. What about the adreno-time? That might help us get there quicker, it’s a little way.”

“Good plan.” Max said sincerely, scooping the Captain up in his arms. “I’ll lock them in this store cupboard, nothing should be able to get to them there. If we can find some medical supplies, i think we can stabilize them enough to get them to Conrad. He might be willing to help considering we found him those teeth for collateral.”

Quickly taking off their jacket, Max set about carefully assessing their wounds. He turned to Parvati. “I need to stabilise them before we go, set off, I won’t be more than a few minutes to catch up. You remember where it is?”  
  
Parvati made a face as she was injecting the adreno-time, and shivered, nodding quicker than she normally would.

“Just so you know Vicar, I’d never normally use this stuff.” Moving fast, she took off down the corridor, past the broken bots. 

“Somehow I can believe that with no difficulty, Miss Holcomb. Have you left me an adreno-time?” He called out. Parvati pointed to an adreno-time near the body of the raider. 

Max finished the poor job he could do of stabilizing the Captain, and put them in some semblance of the recovery position so they wouldn’t choke. Grabbing and injecting the adreno-time and quickly locking the door with the best algorithm he could summon, he spared a quick look at the locked door, picked up his weapon, and ran as fast as he could after Parvati.


End file.
